Snowboarder who was moving around in the labor market, Kim Sang-gyeom, the 37-year-old eldest brother, a miracle silver... "I'll show you the results."" I kept my firm promise [Milan Olympics]

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Sang-gyeom (37, High1), the oldest member of South Korea's snowboard, finally stood at the Olympic Stadium after four challenges, completing a drama of human victory that will remain in the history of South Korea's winter sports.

Kim Sang-gyeom won a valuable silver medal after a close race of 0.23 seconds against Benjamin Karl of Austria in the final of the men's parallel competition at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics held at Lvigno Snowpark in Italy on the 8th (Korea time).

The silver medal harvested by Kim Sang-gyeom became a symbolic record of building a huge gold tower in Korean sports history, given that it was the 400th medal won by South Korea in the history of the Winter Olympics. In the first leg of the final race, Kim Sang-gyeom led 0.17 seconds to raise expectations for the gold medal, but he made a mistake after the middle and faced a crisis of slowing down. In the end, Kim Sang-gyeom, who was pushed back by 0.04 seconds in the second section, did not let go of the chase until the last minute, but Karl crossed the finish line first by a short distance and took off his jacket and roared and took the victory.

Kim Sang-gyeom is a human victory specimen who overcame all kinds of adversities. When he was in the first and second grades of elementary school, Kim Sang-gyeom was weak enough to be hospitalized for two weeks due to asthma. At that time, he started track and field when he was in the third grade of elementary school for his health at the recommendation of his parents, and thanks to steady exercise, he became a student athlete with a sturdy physique of 178 centimeters by the third grade of middle school.

Snowboarding was meant to be. Kim Sang-gyeom started his full-fledged board life at the recommendation of his physical education teacher when the snowboard department was established in the second year of middle school. Based on his explosive quickness in the 80m track and field, long jump, and high jump, he quickly began to show outstanding performances in snowboarding.

However, life after becoming an adult was even more difficult. Kim Sang-gyeom, who had difficulty making a living because he did not have an unemployment team when he graduated from Korea National Sports University, continued his career without giving up his passion for exercise while working hard.

However, there was no connection with the podium in a major tournament. Kim Sang-gyeom ran to his fourth Olympic stage after Sochi, Pyeongchang, and Beijing. The 2014 Sochi Games (eliminated 17th place in the preliminary round), the 2018 Pyeongchang Games (eliminated 15th place in the round of 16) and the 2022 Beijing Games (eliminated 24th place in the preliminary round) were frustrated by the world's high walls, but they finally proved their indomitable will by winning a silver medal.

The silver medal is a miracle result obtained by Kim Sang-gyeom, who was considered an underdog, defeating the world's strongest players in a row. Kim Sang-gyeom, who joined the round of 16 in eighth place in the preliminary round, met veteran Jeanne Kosir (Slovenia), who has three Olympic medals, and won the first section, overturning the 0.09 second gap.

Then in the quarterfinals, he met Roland Fischnaller, the No. 1 seed overall and hero of home team Italy. Fischnaller took the red course rather than the advantageous blue course, but Kim Sang-gyeom succeeded in turning the tables by 0.06 seconds in the second measurement section and won a thrilling victory without missing the opponent's mistake off the course.

The semifinals were also a miracle series. In the semifinals, he also recorded 43.37 seconds against Bulgaria's Holy Terbel Zampirov to secure a silver medal with a thrilling 0.23-second victory.

Ahead of this competition, Kim Sang-gyeom said through the Korea Sports Association, "We have prepared without regret for the past four years. I will show you the results of the process," he said.

He also said, "Before the match, I focus only on warm-ups that fit me without any special jinx. He also showed a strong mental strength, saying, "I don't want to worry about what hasn't happened in advance."

As for the difficult past, he said, "I suffered a slump that lasted for years because the game did not go well during my career, but I am always grateful to my wife for holding me back whenever I had a hard time."

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*This content was translated by AI.